Amalgamator



(No Model.) l

E. A, HARB-, A. HIGLBY.

AMALGAMATOR. No. 309,513. Patented Deve. 16, 1884;

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ICDVINAA. HABE AND AAFOhT HIGLEY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,513, dated December 16, 1884.

A pplicaiion lilrd July 21,1551 (No model.)

To @ZZ who/1t t may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN A. Hann and AARON HIGLEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of fluya hoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Amalgamators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in amalgamatingw machines for separating the particles of gold or other metals from pulverized ores, in which the pulp is forced in at the bottom of an agitated body of mercury, and the object of our invention is te secure the amalgamation of the metals in pulverizcd orc in a cheap, rapid, and effective manner. Te attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a vertical section of the entire machine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofthe machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one of the perforated plates or screens. Fig. 4 isa horizontal view of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view.

A is a closed cylindrical receptacle. step bearing at the bottom and in a bearing at the top of the chamber A is supported a shaft, lil, provided with arms F F F F, to which a revolving motion is imparted by a bevel-gear, M llI, at the upper end.

K is a pipe entering chamber A, and Si is a man-hole.

I3 represents the amalgamating-receptacle, a cylindrical receptacle closed at the bottom, with a discharge-spout, G, at the top and a discharge-pipe,Il, at the bottom. 0n a stepbearing at the bottom of the amalyauiatingreceptacle, and in a bearing above, is supported a shaft, I, to which a revolving motion is imparted by a bevel-gear, N N.

Attached to the shaft I are sets of arms lll II II II, and above each set ot' arms is a perfoi-ated plate or screen C, which is attached to the receptacle l. The amalgamatiiig-receptacle B is connected with chamber A by a pipe, D, having a stop-cock, J'. rIhe machine rests upon standards R The gears )I M and N N are propelled by a shaft and pulley supported by standards l l?, and the upper end 0f shaft I is supported by a standard, O.

On a

suitable force.

Receptacle 13 is supported by arms Q Q. XVe make receptaclek B from upper plate, C, upv ward broader than the lower part, so that there will be more opportunity for the ilonr mercury, should there be any, to precipitate.' IIhe arms attached to shafts I and 'E may beef any shape or number suitable for the purpose of agitating, and the number of perforated plates or screens and sets Vof arms will vary with reference to the difficulty of securing amalgamation of the ore, and our invention is not limited to any specific number of sets of arms or of perforated plates or screens. rlhe mixing-chamber A is placed enough higher than chamber Il so that the bottom of A will be about on a level with the top of the column of mercury in chamber I3, this preventing a backflow of mercury into the mixing-chamber.

The operation of theamalgamator is as follows: The pulverizcd orc,with water, is forced into the receptacle A through pipe K by the force of gravitation, a force-pump, or any other The water and ore are intimately mixed by the operation of arms F F F F. lhe pulp thus obtained is forced through the pipe l) into the amalgamatiiig-receptacle B, which is filled with mercury to the top of upper perforated plate,G. It ishere mixedintimately with the mercury by action of the agitatingarms attached to shaft I. The mercury absorbs the metals, and the pulp passes gradually up through the perforated plates or screens, and is discharged at the top at G. The pulp, bein much lighter t-han the mercury, would spring quickly to the top before there could be complete amalgamation. were it not for the perforated plates or screens. rllhe pulp is retarded in its progress upward by being obliged to pass through the small holes in the plates or screens, so that the arms II II I-I II have time to mix the pulp with the mercury, while the holes in the plates or screens are small enough to prevent the pulp from passing upward in lumps, thus securing a complete mix ture of the pulp with the mercury for the purpose of amalgamation. Vhen the quicksilver has accumulated sufficient amalgam, ahead of water can be forced through the machine, and all t-he sand will be washed out of the mercury, after which it can be drawn out through IOO the opening L, thus avoiding the usual trouble of washing themercury.

We are aware that prior to our invention amalgamators have been made in which the 5 pulp was forced upward through a column of mercury, agitated by arms, in an amalgamatlng-chamber having perforated plates, and that chambers for mixing pulp have been used in connection with amalgamating-ehambers,

1o fand, therefore, do not claim this process or general construction, broadly; but

What we do claim, and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is*

l. In an amalgamating-chamber, B, widen- 15 ing from upper plate, C, upward, and having a discharge-spout, G, the combination of a re- 

